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| Be the ox that treads out the word of God. |
~~ by
Elder Bill Taylor
Orthodox:
authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice.
Heterodox:
not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs.
There
are certain orthodox (generally accepted) doctrines that constitute
foundational biblical truth, such as Christ's virgin birth, and his
resurrection from the dead. Other doctrines are not as "generally
accepted," such as the total depravity of fallen men, of eternal election,
of monergistic regeneration by the Holy Spirit, of the preservation of the
saints, etc. These doctrines, joined with the first mentioned above, were
generally accepted in the early New Testament church. Luke's gospel begins with,
"Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration
of those things which are most surely believed among us," stating there
was orthodoxy among early believers concerning the basic precepts of "the
faith." Jude wrote, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto
you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and
exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3).
When
Paul admonished the brethren at Corinth to, "Examine yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how
that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor 13:5), he
was exhorting them to look deeply within themselves, to examine the basis of
their own beliefs rather than judge him and try to prove him to be holding
heterodox beliefs. After all, the commonly held belief among the Corinthians
appears to be that the Apostolic miraculous gifts were most important in their
worship.
Now here
is my question: is the standard of orthodoxy what has been commonly believed by
the majority of any group? Or is the standard
of orthodoxy what, "Thus saith the LORD?"
Should
any man strive to ensure his interpretation of scriptural passages conform to
"what most of us have always believed, " or should he examine his
beliefs and ensure his interpretation is prayerfully arrived at and consistent
with scriptural context? This is not to say he is free to develop his own
doctrines, but to ensure he builds his
beliefs on "the faith once delivered to the saints." He should seek
counsel with other brethren, but should not change his beliefs simply because
other brethren agree certain scriptures must be interpreted as they see it and
as it has been seen by the majority.
If we
must all conform to what the majority has always believed, just because there
has been general acceptance, then there is little need for the personal, prayerful
study. I prefer to be as those Paul called noble Bereans, and study out scripture
- letting scripture prove scripture. That ought to be the only standard of
orthodoxy, I believe.
